Wimbledon Tennis 2012: 10 Greatest Matches in Finals History

Tennis fans can only hope that the finals of this year's Wimbledon are half as exciting as any of these next 10. 

The following are matches of the ages—unforgettable contests that stand as reminders as to why Wimbledon is the greatest event in tennis. 

Take a walk with me down Wimbledon memory lane, as we look at the 10 greatest finals in the history of this event. 

No. 10: Andre Agassi over Goran Ivanisevic in 1992

Andre Agassi only won Wimbledon once in his spectacular career, and that one win was a thrilling one. 

This was a classic Wimbledon matchup, as it featured the huge serve of Ivanisevic and the amazing return skills of Agassi. 

The two wasted no time loading up the drama.

Ivanisevic took the opening set 7-6 on the strength of a 10-8 tiebreaker. 

Agassi battled back to take the next two sets 6-4 and appeared to have a stranglehold on the match. He was promptly trounced in the fourth set, 1-6.

Surprisingly, Agassi quickly regained form and took the championship with a 6-4 win in the final set.  

No. 9: Steffi Graf over Gabriela Sabatini in 1991

Steffi Graf ruled the Wimbledon courts in the late 80s and 90s.

In many of her finals, she beat the drama out of the match early. That was not the case here.

She took down Gabriela Sabatini 6-4 in the opener, but Sabatini was not about to roll over. She won the second set easily, 3-6.

That set the stage for an epic final third set.

In that set, Sabatini had a chance to serve her way to the championship with a 6-5 lead, but Graf battled and broke and won the next two games to take the set, 8-6.

No. 8: Roger Federer over Rafael Nadal in 2007

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have enough epic battles in major finals that it is very easy to single this out as arguably the greatest rivalry in tennis history.

2007 is a great example.

This was the second time these two had met in the Wimbledon finals, with Roger winning the year before. 

Two sets went to tiebreakers in this match. Federer won them both, 9-7 in the first and 7-3 in the third.

Nadal won both sets following the tiebreakers. He took the second 6-4 and the fourth by a convincing 6-2.

It appeared as though Nadal had stolen all momentum with the fourth set, but it turns out he had spent all of his energy, while Federer had been conserving his.

Federer took the last set, 6-2.

No. 7: Martina Navratilova over Chris Evert in 1978

Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert combined to make one of the most memorable rivalries in tennis history, and that is result of epic matches like this. 

Appearing in her first Wimbledon final, Navratilova quickly fell behind and lost the first set, 2-6.

This would have been reason enough for most to collapse, as Martina was facing a player who had already won a Wimbledon.

Instead of collapsing, Martina battled back.

She won the second set 6-4, and then the two embarked on an epic final set, which Navratilova won 7-5. 

No. 6: Goran Ivanisevic over Patrick Rafter in 2001

This match was a blast for several reasons.

For starters, the crowd was way rowdier than the typical Wimbledon crowd.

Rain caused this final to be played on Monday and left a bunch of tickets available at the last minute. As a result, the stands were packed with excited fans who never would have dreamed they could get a chance to see a final. 

They were treated to a great match to top that.

The first four sets went back and forth, but they weren't particularly close.

The fifth set rolled around and neither player wanted his chance at history to pass by without giving a fight.

Ivanisevic went on to win the decisive fifth, but it took him nine games to do so.

At the time, it was the longest fifth set in Wimbledon finals history. This was a shocking win for Goran.

He was at the tail end of his career. He was actually outside the top 100 entering the tournament. He was also 0-3 in Wimbledon finals prior.

That certainly changed with his epic 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 2-6, 9-7 win. 

No. 5: Jimmy Connors over John McEnroe in 1982

Just uttering the phrase Connors-McEnroe takes the mind back to a golden age of tennis. A time when rackets were cut from trees, and a player's hair was often longer than their shorts. 

These two tennis greats put on a show for spectators in the 1982 Wimbledon finals. 

This was a grueling marathon of a match. The two took alternated set victories. McEnroe took the first 6-3. Connors returned the favor taking the second 6-3.

The next two sets both went to tiebreakers. Connors won the first tiebreaker 7-2. McEnroe won the second 7-5.

With both players running on fumes at this point, Jimmy Connors prevailed in the fifth set, 6-4. 

No. 4: Venus Williams over Lindsay Davenport in 2005

Already down one set to zero, down five games to four and trailing 30-40, Venus Williams staved off defeat by blistering a backhand past Lindsay Davenport. 

She went on to claim that second set 7-6 (7-4), undoubtedly having stolen the momentum.

It seemed reasonable to assume that she would role in the final set. Those assumptions proved to be silly. 

The two continued to battle, and the decisive third set went to extra games—a bunch of them.

Williams ultimately took the epic third set, 9-7.

This was the third of her five Wimbledon titles. 

No. 3: Roger Federer over Andy Roddick in 2009

John McEnroe, who knows a thing or 500 about epic tennis matches, said this was the greatest tennis match he had ever seen. 

It certainly isn't hard to make that argument.

For nearly five grueling hours, Andy Roddick blistered his serves, and Roger Federer pounded forehands all over the court.

These two battled tooth and nail the entire match.

In four out of five sets, the winner had to take at least seven games. That came with Roddick's 6-3 win in the fourth.

Even their tiebreakers were close!

The second and third sets both went to tiebreakers, which Federer won 8-6 and 7-5. This was just the beginning.

The two set out on an amazing final set, which Federer eventually won 16-14.  

No. 2: Bjorn Borg over John McEnroe in 1980

On his way to winning a fifth straight Wimbledon crown, Bjorn Borg ran into a little problem—well, a big, loud and obnoxious problem to be more precise. 

John McEnroe gave Bjorg everything he could handle in this epic final.

Bjorg ultimately won 1-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-7 (18-16), 8-6, and even that amazing scoreline does not tell the whole story. 

Twice Bjorg had to fight off match points. In addition, the most impressive part of his performance is that he was able to stay emotionally stable enough to win the fifth set after blowing seven match points in the fourth. 

This marathon match was a true testament to the competitive drive of both these great champions. 

No: 1 Rafael Nadal over Roger Federer in 2008

In 2008, Rafael Nadal ended Roger Federer's five-year reign as king of Wimbledon, and it wasn't easy.

In fact, it took fours and 48 minutes, which was the longest men's final in Wimbledon history.

It didn't look like it was going to be that hard for Nadal, who took the first two sets by a score of 6-4.

Federer battled back and won the next two sets in tiebreaker by a score of 7-5 and 8-6.

With the two playing so closely matched in the first four sets, it is no surprise that the fifth went to extra games.

The thing that makes this match the clear No. 1, is not just how close it was, but how well-played it was for its entirety.

Both men were on point with all facets of their game. They combined for a whopping 149 winners, a total that nearly doubled their unforced errors.